Australia's Nathan Lyon took four wickets as England collapsed to 238 for 9 at stumps on the first day of the fourth Ashes Test at Chester-le-Street yesterday.

Off-spinner Lyon, controversially left out of the first two Ashes Tests in favour of teenager Ashton Agar, despite taking nine wickets in Delhi in the final Test of Australia's 4-0 series loss in March, had figures of four wickets for 42 runs in 20 overs.

England captain Alastair Cook, who won the toss, was the only batsman to make a fifty as the hosts, who had been in a solid position at 107 for one, played a succession of poor shots in the face of accurate Australian bowling.